Goodbye, David Bowie

As you probably have heard, David Bowie passed away this week. Together with the news of his death was the release of his latest album, grappling with what was to come. I am amazed at his ability to share the end of his life through art. As Elizabeth Gilbert commented,

Can you imagine, to be making art like this (fearless art that both comforts and challenges) right up to the moment of your death? How do you do that? How do you BE that? To work with your death so imaginatively, in order to perfectly time out the last beats of your life? What a magnificent creature of creation, right to the end.
I am sad today, but mostly I am overwhelmed by awe. This is what it means to be a great artist. From the beginning, this was a man who showed us how to do life differently than anyone had ever done it before, and now look how he has done death.

What an incredible artist. He shape-shifted throughout his decades-long career, continuing to share his perspective until the end. I remember watching Labyrinth as a child, and his music has stayed in rotation all of my life. Sometimes creepy, sometimes transcendent, never resting in a comfortable place. Thank you, David Bowie.